10 Best Things to Do in Metro Manila This Week (July 27–Aug 2)
Running out of fresh weekend plans again? Metro Manila decided to go all out with WOFEX Manila, The Symphonic World of Studio Ghibli, Bluey’s Big Play, PondPhuwin’s fancon, and even rug tufting workshops, where you can convince yourself you were born to become artsy. This list of things to do in Metro Manila this week (July 27-August 2) rounds up food events, concerts, date spots, family activities, and creative hangouts across the city. Metro Manila packed this week with enough events to keep your calendar fully booked and your wallet slightly nervous.
Give the official event pages a quick look to catch any last-minute updates.
Still Making Plans? 10 Must-Do Events in Manila This Week (July 27–Aug 2)
Food, Drinks & Cafe Plans
WOFEX Manila
July 29-August 1, 2026丨World Trade Center & SMX Convention Center丨Entry is ₱400 without a free invite or registration
Your “diet starts next Monday” speech may collapse within five minutes here. WOFEX Manila fills the World Trade Center and SMX Convention Center with cooking demos, café showcases, food suppliers, pastry booths, coffee tastings, and snack samples. Chefs, bakers, restaurant owners, and regular food lovers all roam around carrying tiny food cups. If you are also mentally opening your own café, this belongs on your list of things to do in Manila for adults.
Afternoon High Tea at Papillon
Salcedo Village, Makati丨Reservation at least a day in advance is recommended
Papillon’s Afternoon High Tea turns your random afternoon into a full, elegant moment. The Michelin-selected restaurant serves sweet bites like Citrus Meringue Tart and Panna Cotta with Pineapple Coulis alongside savory plates like Bo La Lot beef skewers and Tom Yum Chicken Bao.
The Fruit Aroma Black Tea deserves attention, too, because regular iced tea starts feeling emotionally distant afterward. If your date ideas involve Southeast Asian flavors, this works nicely for places to visit in Manila for couples.
Happy Hour at the Long Bar
Raffles Makati, Makati Ave, Makati City丨Starts at ₱1,100 per person
Your work stress has already survived enough this week. Long Bar’s happy hour includes free-flow selected cocktails, wines, beers, and a Chef’s Sampler platter while Makati slowly glows outside. The space carries that old-school classy energy where everybody suddenly sits straighter after the first drink. Perfect for post-work catchups where your group accidentally stays out past their intended bedtime.
Concerts, Theater & Fan Events
The Symphonic World of Studio Ghibli
July 31-August 2, 2026丨The Theatre at Solaire
Nobody walks into a Studio Ghibli concert emotionally prepared. The 83-piece Filharmonika Orchestra performs Joe Hisaishi’s iconic scores from Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Kiki’s Delivery Service during this official Philippines-Japan Friendship Year 2026 celebration. If your playlist already includes Ghibli piano music during stressful days, this concert belongs on your schedule.
The Ridleys: Our Story (Draft #10)
July 31-August 1, 2026丨Metropolitan Theater Manila
The Ridleys already know how to ruin your emotional stability through headphones, and now they’re adding a live orchestra to the equation. The Filipino indie/alternative folk band heads to the Metropolitan Theater for special performances featuring select songs backed by an orchestra led by Ria Villena-Osorio. Romantic indie songs plus live strings inside a historic theater? Metro Manila really said, “feel your feelings properly this week.”
Bluey’s Big Play in Manila
July 31-August 9, 2026丨Newport Performing Arts Theater
Parents already lost this scheduling battle the second Bluey tickets dropped. Bluey, Bingo, Mum, and Dad jump straight out of the screen for their first live theater show in Manila. The production turns the cartoon into a real-life stage experience packed with humor, music, and family chaos everybody relates to, making it among the best family things to do in Metro Manila this week.
PONDPHUWIN ‘RENDEZVOUS’ FANCON IN MANILA
August 2, 2026丨New Frontier Theater
This fancon? Charge your phone fully because your camera roll will work overtime. Pond and Phuwin return to Manila for their first-ever fancon in the Philippines, complete with performances, fan interactions, and enough kilig energy to power Cubao for the night. Fans of Fish Upon the Sky, We Are, and Me and Thee will spend half the event screaming and the other half recovering emotionally.
On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan
Until August 2, 2026丨The Proscenium Theater
Nobody escapes this musical without singing “Conga” afterward. The Broadway production follows Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s rise from Miami’s Little Havana to international stardom while filling the theater with iconic songs like Get On Your Feet, Rhythm Is Gonna Get You, and 1-2-3. Music lovers searching for places to visit in Manila can slide this into weekend plans pretty easily.
Artsy & Creative Plans
Art in Island
175 15th Ave, Cubao, Quezon City
Your camera roll will work overtime here. The massive mixed-media museum in Cubao features interactive murals, optical illusions, Van Gogh-inspired rooms, projection zones, and giant installations. The whale projection roaming around the Circle of Seasons area can make your entire friend group start directing fake magazine shoots. So, friends hunting for unique things to do in Metro Manila this week should save this.
Rug Tufting at Oh Craft Workshop
486 J. P. Rizal St, Lamuan, Marikina
Tufting videos always look relaxing until the yarn starts fighting back in real life. Oh Craft Workshop teaches you how to create your own custom rug using a tufting gun, colorful yarn, and guided instruction from start to finish. The workshop provides all materials, including over 80 yarn colors, so nobody needs to panic-buy crafting supplies beforehand.
Where are we grabbing dinner?
A busy week across the city deserves a reward in the form of a great meal. Skip the scrolling and check out my list of 16 Best Restaurants in Makati You Must Visit. You can find a fast snack or a total feast, and every single one of these spots brings the right energy to cap off your weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Metro Manila has everything this week. You can go on a food trip or get a business idea at WOFEX Manila, watch Bluey’s Big Play with family, hear Studio Ghibli music live at Solaire, or chill with cocktails during Happy Hour at Long Bar.
Art in Island, rug tufting workshops at Oh Craft Workshop, Bluey’s Big Play, and the Studio Ghibli orchestra concert work perfectly for indoor plans.
If you both enjoy good food and slow afternoons, Papillon’s Afternoon High Tea makes a cute date spot. Couples can also catch The Ridleys orchestra shows or explore Art in Island together for fun photo moments around the museum.
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